Regional and cross-border collaboration

The relationship between the nuclear sector in North Wales and Northern England is evidenced by the North West Nuclear Arc (NWNA) cluster – a partnership of private, public and academic bodies working across the nuclear sector in the North West of England and Wales.

Trawsfynydd sits in a key area within the NWNA nuclear technology eco-system – which covers a geographic area extending from Cumbria in North West England to North West Wales. Capabilities within this geography cover the lifetime activities of the nuclear fuel supply chain. This includes manufacturing just over the Welsh Border at Capenhurst near Chester, fabrication at Springfields near Preston and used fuel and waste management in Cumbria.

North Wales and the wider NWNA area have a strong foundation of research and development expertise. Trawsfynydd is well located to collaborate with Bangor University’s Nuclear Futures Institute, M-SParc, and AMRC Cymru in Broughton, as well as the Dalton Institute in Manchester University and the National Nuclear Laboratory. Development at Trawsfynydd would encourage growth and inward investment in the manufacturing sector in North East Wales and in the wider nuclear supply chain in the Warrington area and North West England.

As well as building on the experience of past and current activities in electrity generation in the region, the SMR project at Trawsfynydd will benefit from working within NWNA to draw on nuclear capabilities on both sides of the border to support wider economic growth.